Daily Dose

Hunker Down Against the Flu

At the risk of sounding like
a zealot here I'm going to once again mention the importance of taking
preventative steps against the flu (swine and seasonal) this year. Reading this
harrowing story of 27-year-old pregnant Aubrey Opdyke who was hospitalized,
went into a coma and lost her baby is what's driving me to get on the "get-your-flu-shot
and-stay-home-if-you-feel-sick-PLEASE" soapbox today. It made my blood boil to
read that the physical therapist who's helping Aubrey recover from her
ordeal is opposed to flu shots, even in the face of the tragedy the illness can
cause.

I understand being wary of
vaccines. In past years I haven't gotten the flu shot because I'm not so keen
on getting a vaccine every single year of my life. But this just isn't the time
to skip it. Another thing: STAY HOME if you start feeling sick. I know we're
all used to dragging ourselves into work or school with a cough and sniffles
(myself included), but it's crucial to really pay attention to how you're
feeling and not wait until you're achy and faint to stay home. By then you've
probably already infected a ton of people. The big deal this year is that so
most of us have NO immunity to the H1N1 virus and so many of us are at higher
risk for serious complications from it. Don't panic, just be smart.

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